Jordan Tony 
Homegrown Doritos
We like snacks around here. When we’re not doing a living off the land challenge, we’ve been known to polish off quarts of ice cream and family size bags of chips in a single evening. This makes it challenging when we’re not eating from the grocery store, but luckily with a little bit of work we’ve made some excellent snacks that are all the more special for the homegrown and wild-foraged ingredients in them. These corn chips, which we’ve lovingly named “homegrown doritos,” are the perfect vehicle to highlight all the flavors we have stored in our pantry. And there’s no comparison to the flavor of tortillas made from freshly ground masa.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh ground masa
- 2 tsp salt
- homegrown doritos spice blends
- Coatings:
Mushroom-Herb Powder
- 1 tsp morel powder
- 1 tsp thyme powder
- 1 tsp sage powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Chili-Spicebush Powder
- 1 tsp smoked chili powder
- 1/2 tsp spicebush powder
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
Tomato-Herb Powder
- 1 tsp sundried tomato powder
- 1 tsp oregano powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Heat a deep pot with frying oil until approximately 375 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test with a tiny piece of masa by seeing if it bubbles when it hits the oil.
- Work salt into the masa and add water in small drips if needed to make the dough come together. The dough should clump together easily but not feel soggy (a similar texture to playdough).
- Pinch off tablespoon-size sections of the masa and roll into balls about 1-inch in diameter.
- One by one, press the balls into flat circles about 1/8-inch thick. This is easiest with a tortilla press and a plastic bag cut into two squares to put in between the dough and the press, which keeps the dough from sticking to the sides. If you don’t have a press, you can use two flat pans to press out the masa, or even your hands if you’re feeling ambitious.
- Cut the tortilla into 6 small triangles with a knife or pastry cutter. Gently place the triangles into the hot oil and let fry for about 4-5 minutes, or until the chips are golden and the middle is barely bubbling anymore.
- Remove the chips to a paper towel or rack with drainage. Continue frying the chips in batches, taking care not to crowd the pot. We like to put our finished chips in a 200 F oven once they have drained to keep them warm and crispy until all the chips are done.
- Mix your spice blends. We really enjoyed all three of these but encourage you to get creative with whatever fun seasonings you have on hand. If using whole herbs and peppers, blend them individually in a spice grinder then mix into the above combinations.
- Coat the chips in each flavor combination by dumping the powder into a small mesh strainer and tapping it over the chips in a large bowl. Toss the chips to coat thoroughly. Enjoy!
